Former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is back on the market having parted ways with Argentina – and Rugby Australia chief Phil Waugh isn’t ruling him out of a sensational Wallabies return.
“Everyone’s in the hunt, to be fair,” the RA chief executive told AAP when asked if Cheika could be ruled out of contention, four years after finishing up with the Wallabies after the 2019 edition of the World Cup.
“We haven’t gone to market with it yet.
“We’re hoping to announce our high-performance director this week and then get in the process of going to market for a head coach.
“We’re certainly not advanced in conversations, or in any conversations with anyone really.”
Pressed on whether or not Cheika might be someone RA were interested in after taking the Wallabies to the 2015 World Cup final, Waugh said: “We’re interested in anyone, to be honest, but we just need to go through the process.”
Cheika will be replaced by his assistant Felipe Contepomi who worked alongside Cheika for the past 18 months.
Cheika guided Argentina to the semi-finals of the recent Rugby World Cup in France and was an assistant and adviser to the team for two years before taking charge in March 2022.
Under the Sydneysider, the Pumas beat the All Blacks in New Zealand, the Wallabies in Australia, and England at Twickenham.
They knocked out Wales in the World Cup quarter-finals before losing to the All Blacks in the semis.
“Having been the head coach of Los Pumas fills me with pride, and it is one of the experiences that I enjoyed the most in my career as a coach,” Cheika told the Argentina Rugby Union (UAR) website.
“Although I was born in Australia, a big part of me will be Argentina. I am convinced that Felipe and his staff are going to lead the team in the best way.”
Cheika, who led the Wallabies for five years, coached Australia to the final of the 2015 World Cup. With Eddie Jones still to be replaced as Wallabies coach Cheika at least provides food for thought as Rugby Australia seeks a replacement. He was also linked to a role at the Wests Tigers NRL club before their recent board room turmoil.
At the recent World Cup, he told The Roar he wanted to be involved in the 2027 World Cup in some capacity.
“I’m still on with the (Lebanon) Cedars (rugby league team) and there’s a World Cup that will be in Australia, I think, in 2026 before the Rugby World Cup in 2027. I’m looking forward to being involved in both of those – one way or another,” he said.
The dramatic departure of Eddie Jones as Wallabies coach one season into his five-year deal saw Cheika’s name resurface as a potential candidate.
Head coach Michael Cheika and Julian Montoya of the Pumas talk to the media after winning The Rugby Championship match between the New Zealand All Blacks and Argentina Pumas at Orangetheory Stadium on August 27, 2022 in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
While new Leicester Tigers coach Dan McKellar and Brumbies mentor Stephen Larkham are other Australian alternatives, Cheika, who coached the Wallabies between 2014 and 2019, has the international experience to be considered for Australia’s rebuild job.
The experienced coach said at the World Cup that he he wouldn’t be lobbying for any other roles until he met with Argentina to determine if he or Contepomi, would lead Los Pumas forward.
“When I was the coach in Australia, I was very loyal and that’s my go,” Cheika said.
The decision is not a major shock, as Cheika flagged the possibility at the end of the World Cup when he said: “I’m very loyal to what’s happening between me and Argentina – that’s my first port of call.
“I’ll go down there in a couple of weeks, and we’ll have a full debrief of what we did and then start making plans for the next World Cup. And then also decide what I’m going to do moving forward.
“The original arrangement was that a young fella who I coached at length – Felipe Contepomi – he’s the guy who is going to take over at some stage.
“We’ll make a decision together on whether they think it’s good for me to stay on in that environment or does he want to go on his own.”
Contepomi was the five-eighth at Irish club Leinster – and Cheika the coach – when they won their first European Cup in 2009.
He played 87 Tests, and was key to Argentina reaching their first Rugby World Cup semi-finals in 2007. Four years later, he captained the Pumas at his fourth World Cup.
Michael Cheika, Head Coach of Argentina, looks on during the warm up prior to the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Bronze Final match between Argentina and England at Stade de France on October 27, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Contepomi paid tribute to Cheika, calling it an honour to have worked under the Australian as Argentina’s attack coach and being “grateful for the extraordinary opportunity”.
After he retired from playing in 2014, he learned the coaching ropes with the Argentina XV and Super Rugby Jaguares, before returning to Leinster. Cheika brought him home in 2022.
UAR president Gabriel Travaglini thanked Cheika.
“His professionalism, passion and dedication to Argentine rugby is something we will remember forever,” Travaglini said.
“Today, we are convinced that Felipe is the right person for this new path towards Australia 2027.”
(With agencies)
Ben
Roar Rookie
But what has actually changed to think this time will be any different? I agree with you that our story is better, not just the international competition, including the overseas club 'retirement' options (Giteau still going at 41), but also that no other code of football, apart from gridiron, supports a greater range of body types and fitnesses - it is the perfect sport for everyone to have a go. But the problem is that we've spent at least 20 years trying to compete against the other codes. And we had a perfect platform for it: 1999 world champs, 2001 series win over the Lions, 2003 home runners up. But the administration still couldn't take market share. In fact, they lost it, and continued to lose it. We've been in a downwards spiral for two decades, and the talk is always the same 'grassroots development', 'support for juniors', 'compete with the other codes'. And while I agree with the story of us being international sport, it does start to sound a bit tired, because it's been told for so long and hasn't made a difference. And, as history shows, that story hasn't been enough to be able to compete with what are two of the best domestic sporting competitions in the world - the league and the aussie rules. I'm not saying the best, but they are very, very good. After so much failure, it seems prudent for new administrators to take a different stance and accept a decade or so where taking market share from them is not a focus. Besides, if they actually make rugby interesting and competitive at the junior club and school level, run the competitions that you mentioned well (and we are competitive - I don't think we need to win, just be competitive and play good footy), and actually give the public access to the sport, then we will grow naturally. And I think that is the big problem - growth has been expected, with all the private school arrogance of a stereotypical rugby administrator, without them really putting any effort in. Or maybe more accurately, the effort has gone in to behind the scenes cross-jurisdiction fighting. Another big challenge we have, is that no matter how poorly the aussie rules or NRL teams are performing, an Aussie team always wins. The standard of these competitions could be of the 13Es, but because Aussies win all the games every weekend, there will still be big interest. When our teams win against NZ only as the exception, casual fans aren't going to watch, which means you can't turn them into die hard fans, and our market share won't grow. The final challenge is actually having five competitive teams. It spreads our players thin, combinations are less likely to get built at club/super level, there is less money for junior development or signing young players through a proper development program. I don't like the idea of cutting back to 3 or 4 teams, but keeping what we've got is another example of how we think we can just keep bumbling along and something magical will happen. When even our best teams don't win more than they lose, we aren't going to get new people coming to watch our worst. We keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. It's hard to see why that will be any different this time.
The Late News
Roar Rookie
Punchbowl. NSW, 2196.
Handles
Roar Guru
After you break a camel's back, you can re-use the straw. You just have to grab them before RA builds their new centralised model.
Stu B.
Roar Rookie
Starting to look once again very much a North Shore coalition!
Morsie
Roar Rookie
He keeps pulling them from somewhere.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Should be a lot less references without Hamish trying to incite a fight and Eddie constantly going on about it
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Good comment
Merlin
Roar Rookie
Cheika = Jones = Cheika = Jones ..Sadly – maybe Dave Rennie is the one coach Australia really needs….
Rolando
Roar Rookie
"“We’re certainly not advanced in conversations, or in any conversations with anyone really.” Tom Decent where are you? In any case PW has previously said that one of the main tasks of the new High Performance director would be to choose the next coach. Therefore Waugh doesn't have the remit to rule anyone out or in I wouldn't think.
ajhreds
The other thing Tempo, Haberrcht etc were coaching WBs where the team's ranking was a bit lower.
ajhreds
No thank you
ajhreds
Just keep him away from Rugby
Richard Patterson
Roar Rookie
Can we accept that at the international level Michael Cheika is not a Head Coach.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Is Lebanon in Sydney? Or Queensland?
Far Queue mate
Roar Rookie
He hurt the Wallabies which is much worse.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
Thanks P. As a Queenslander, I like to consider Bob T’s success rate as a state coach as well. While there were no rankings at the time that I’m aware of, he had Qld as the best provincial side in the world. And the ARU only ever used him as Wallaby coach when they had to, or couldn’t find anyone in Sydney half good enough and the team not as strong. While numbers tell a story, I don’t think his test numbers are quite fair or tell the whole story. Thanks for the chat. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year.
Dean
Roar Rookie
I’m my goodness! Please No!! A really big NO!
Andrew
Roar Rookie
If we go down that path it will prove RA have learned nothing from the Eddie Jones saga.
Lee Byron
Roar Rookie
RA should go with someone else as HC and add some of our current SRP coaches as assistants and specialists. We need to develop coaching too.
Patrick
For the record: McQueen 79%, A. Jones 70%, Connolly 64%, Smith 63%, Dwyer 63%, Haberecht 60%, Templeton 59%. Source: https://www.rugbydatabase.co.nz/team/coachList.php?teamId=37&test=1